Appendix II: The Religion of Dune

           BEFORETHEcomingofMuad’Dib,theFremenofArrakispracticedareligionwhoserootsintheMaomethSaariarethereforanyscholartosee.Manyhavetracedtheextensiveborrowingsfromotherreligions.ThemostcommonexampleistheHymntoWater,adirectcopyfromtheOrangeCatholicLiturgicalManual,callingforraincloudswhichArrakishadneverseen.ButtherearemoreprofoundpointsofaccordbetweentheKitabal-IbaroftheFremenandtheteachingsofBible,Ilm,andFiqh.

           AnycomparisonofthereligiousbeliefsdominantintheImperiumuptothetimeofMuad’Dibmuststartwiththemajorforceswhichshapedthosebeliefs:1.ThefollowersoftheFourteenSages,whoseBookwastheOrangeCatholicBible,andwhoseviewsareexpressedintheCommentariesandotherliteratureproducedbytheCommissionofEcumenicalTranslators.(C.E.T.);2.TheBeneGesserit,whoprivatelydeniedtheywereareligiousorder,butwhooperatedbehindanalmostimpenetrablescreenofritualmysticism,andwhosetraining,whosesymbolism,organization,andinternalteachingmethodswerealmostwhollyreligious;

           3.Theagnosticrulingclass(includingtheGuild)forwhomreligionwasakindofpuppetshowtoamusethepopulaceandkeepitdocile,andwhobelievedessentiallythatallphenomena—evenreligiousphenomena—couldbereducedtomechanicalexplanations;

           4.